Xmas Shuffle!
by Enya Talisman
Summary: Xmas Shuffle is the name of a box that Honoka came up with so as to 'release some steam after performing Snow Halation yesterday', AKA drawing a random matching number with someone, and going out on a Christmas date with said person. Does Honoka know that idols aren't supposed to go on dates, even within the group...?


Today's story is slightly different. Usually I'll list down the pairings at the summary but this time, I decided to keep it a surprise. How I chose the pairings is related to YuruYuri Season 1 Episode 7. Sort of. Anyways, I don't own anything.

XXXXXX

"Hey Nico-chan! Check this out!" Honoka beamed as she held out a pink box with the words 'Xmas Shuffle' on it.

"Honoka, what the hell is that." Nico deadpanned at Honoka's reaction, too tired to even bother adding a suitable emotion in her reply. "And what do you mean by a shuffle?"

"Aw c'mon Nico-chan! Where's your Christmas spirit?" Honoka pouted, snaking her arm around Nico's slim waist. "Surely a super idol would want to spend Christmas with _someone_ right~?"

"A super idol shouldn't even enter a relationship you dumbass! So, why the hell are you holding up that box?"

"Well I thought we could release some steam after performing Snow Halation yesterday!"

"Nicocchi? Why do you look so worked up?" Nozomi entered the clubroom along with the first years, all four of them shivering slightly at the cold temperature. "Man, it sure is cold today ain't it?"

"Nozomi, we're inside. The clubroom's heater is working perfectly." Nico replied, shaking the box that was formerly in Honoka's hands.

"I'm saying it for Rin-chan yan~"

"... What are you insinuating here nya...?" Rin took a quick look at her chest, shooting her senior a glare afterwards.

"More importantly Nico-chan, why are you shaking a box that's labelled 'Xmas Shuffle'...?" Maki asked.

"Apparently it's a Christmas dating box..."

"You can date boxes nya...?"

"I-It's a scandal if an idol goes out on a date!" Hanayo noted, something which Nico had brought up prior to their entrance. "Rin-chan, Nico-chan didn't mean it in that sense..."

"That's what I've just said to this bread-loving blockhead." Nico grumbled, continuing to shake the box.

"Ah you all are here! Nico-chan, what are you shaking?" Kotori entered the room, with Eli and Umi behind her.

"I bet it's another one of Honoka's schemes that has ended up in Nico's hands." Eli correctly deduced, sighing softly to herself.

"So Honoka, what is it _this_ time?" Umi asked, her voice sounding more like an interrogation.

"Inside the box is a set of numbers. You'll go on a Christmas date tomorrow with the person who shares the same number as you." Honoka causally replied, losing her enthusiasm she displayed when Nico was the only one with her. In fact, the person who was enthusiastic about the date was...

"A date...? That would mean that I've a chance to date Nico-chan..." Kotori mumbled to herself, a blush all over her face as she eyed Nico. Ever since she entered high school, she had always taken an interest in the idol wannabe. The fact that Honoka dragged Nico into Muse a few months back was the best thing that could have happened to Kotori, it just meant that she had a reason to talk to her senior.

"Hold on, we only have nine. Doesn't that mean someone will be left out?" Maki asked, causing Kotori's mood to plummet.

"Don't worry, I'll place all my spiritual powers in ya so Nicocchi will be your date~" Nozomi noticed Kotori's change in expression and decided to pray for her.

"Nozomi-chan nya... Place some for me too, Rin wanna get Maki-chan..." Rin nudged her partner in crime, sporting a blush as Maki looked her way.

"Tsk tsk. Maki-chan, you think I didn't plan it through?"

"Uh... yes."

"Well you're wrong!" Honoka pointed a finger at the door leading to where Muse would hold practice sessions should there be rain. "Mystery guests, show yourselves!"

"Wait, 'yourselves'?!" Eli repeated, turning to face the door. The door opened, revealing five others. "Honoka, you even got _them_?!"

"Well they volunteered!" Honoka retorted, crossing her arms. "Right Yukiho?!"

"Actually you just dragged me into your dating scheme... Alisa was the one who volunteered." Yukiho explained, glancing in Alisa's direction.

"Hey don't forget us too." Tsubasa chuckled, ruffling Hanayo's head. "So, shall we draw the papers?"

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Kotori's tuft of hair started to flap vigorously, resembling a bird's wing.

"Okay! Let's do this!" Fourteen hands plunged into the box, pulling out a slip of paper each (and ended up destroying the box in the process).

XXXXXX

"You seem happy, is it because you're dating the number one idol on the most magical day of the year?" Nico asked her date, smiling at her date's flustered expression. "Oh my Kotori, you're blushing. Here, why don't you hold my hand to warm up?"

"O-Okay..." Kotori held her senior's hand, her heart beating faster than ever. _'Oh no, she's so cool. I think I'm gonna fall for her again!'_

"So Kotori, where do you wanna go? Do you wanna head to somewhere warm?" Nico asked, humming her solo (the magician one) to herself.

"I-I-I..." Kotori was at a loss of words. She had never expected Nico to be so... non-narcissistic for the lack of better terms. _'Nico-chan is so different... Is she trying to be considerate...?'_

"You all right?" Nico expressed concern for her date, biting on her lip worriedly. Kotori nodded vigorously, not wanting to worry her beloved senior.

"Mm! I just didn't know where to go!" Kotori heaved a sigh of relief at her save. "How about a cafe? I know of one that has great desserts!"

"Desserts huh?" Nico pretended she was considering the idea but one look at her drooling mouth told otherwise. "I suppose that's a nice way to start a date. Lead the way then."

"Yup!" Kotori took the lead, and decided to hold a conversation with Nico. "Nico-chan, do you have anyone that you like?"

"H-Huh?! Kotori, that's _no_ way to start a date conversation!" Nico blushed a bright red.

"Really~? But I'm just following a dating simulator?" Kotori smiled innocently but inside, she was far from happy. _'_ _Oh, so she had one.'_ Kotori thought to herself.

"D-Dating sims aren't a good example on how a date should be like!"

"You sound like you have dating experience Nico-chan~"

"... Well, I went out with lots of guys before so... yeah..." Nico's voice dropped to a whisper, as though she hoped that Kotori couldn't hear. _'I still can't believe I went out with at least eight guys in middle school just so to confirm my sexuality... Urgh, I suddenly feel disgusted at myself...'_

"We're here Nico-chan!" Kotori stopped outside a cafe, turning to face Nico. "Shall we enter?"

"Heck yes. Sweets, here I come!" Nico entered the cafe, with Kotori following behind. Unbeknownst to Nico, Kotori wore a bitter smile on her usually calm face.

 _'Guys huh? I already knew that she's not even interested in girls, let alone me. So why does this hurt so much?'_

XXXXXX

"I hope Kotori is doing okay..." Umi muttered to herself as she walked hand in hand with Alisa. Due to Alisa's dear (overprotective) sister, she was forbidden from bringing Alisa to any place where it was dark, secluded or even quiet. That being said, being the bookworm she was, Umi brought Alisa out on a library date.

"Kotori-san? She's with Nico-san, so she should be fine?" Alisa comforted her date for the day, scooting closer to Umi in the process. Alisa was very much in love with Umi, but always acted as though she had a simple crush on the lyricist. Still, that didn't mean that she'll be possessive over Umi.

"Yeah but..." Umi sighed, ever since Kotori had confided her crush towards the senior to Umi, Umi was worrying whether the tiny senior would crush her poor innocent Kotori's heart. "Oh please do excuse me, a date shouldn't include any thoughts on others right?"

"Uh... It's not that you can't, it's more like... impoliteness? Still, Kotori-san is your best friend apart from Honoka-san. I don't see why you can't worry for her, in fact I'm actually worrying about Yukiho right now."

"Yukiho? Isn't she with Eli...?" Umi recalled the moment where Yukiho and Eli found out that they were paired together. "I believe that Yukiho is in safe hands."

"Yeah right, my sister is totally in love with Yukiho ever since the sister swapping thing... Oh wait, or was it when you guys went over to make manju...?"

"I didn't know Eli likes Yukiho... I wonder if Honoka knows about it...?"

"She does actually. Her words to my sister were 'Finally, go bang already'."

"That sounds crude. Anyways, we're here." Umi sighed as she brought Alisa into the library. "What kind of books do you like?"

"I like Russian literature the most! Umi-san, what about you?"

"Hmm, I guess I like all sorts of literature. But I'm also able to appreciate fantasy novels."

"Then let's go find a book to talk about then! Umi-san, let's go!" Alisa suggested, already sprinting off to find a book. Umi chuckled in amusement as the librarian tried to tell Alisa not to run in the library.

"I wonder how Eli is spending her day with Yukiho... Ah and I hope Kotori is okay..."

XXXXXX

"The desserts were nice, weren't they?" Kotori asked, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, and cheap too." Nico agreed, taking a quick peek into her wallet. _'Thank god for the prices, I need to watch my cash flow if I want to have a successful date with my crush...'_

"Ehehe~ Where would you like to go next?" Kotori asked, her hand going closer to Nico's. Nico noticed it and decided to seize the opportunity, grabbing Kotori's cold hand as gently (and subtly) as she could. Kotori was aware of it, but chose to stay silent in a bid to enjoy the warm sensation enveloping her hand.

"I dunno. An arcade I guess?" Nico suggested, internally crying at her poor location choice. _'Of all places why must I say arcade...?'_

"That's a great idea! I've always wanted to get that panda plushie for quite some time now!" Kotori responded gleefully, pulling Nico with her. "C'mon Nico-chan!"

"Slow down will ya? Those plushies will be there!" Nico laughed at Kotori's response, she had always loved the designer's smile ever since a chance meeting during a detention. She got one hell of a scolding from the principal for staring at her daughter but Nico couldn't care less.

"I wanna play that dancing game where it uses Kinect too! Oh and maybe air hockey too!"

"Air hockey?! I thought after Nozomi's and Eli's round of air hockey, you didn't wanna see another puck?"

"That's cause they're too rough! I think you're gentler with a puck then those two!"

"Haha- Wait. Are you trying to say that I suck at air hockey?!"

"A-Ahahaha... Where did you get that idea...?"

"Kotori, I'll kick your chun chun ass at Dance Evolution Arcade!"

"Ehehe~ Let's see, shall we?"

XXXXXX

"So, may I inquire on the the movie choice Tojo-san?" Erena asked politely, making Nozomi cringe. It wasn't that Nozomi disliked Erena, it was simply Erena's mannerism that threw the spiritual girl off guard. Nozomi wasn't used to such formalities, even Umi couldn't hold a candle as compared to the A-RISE member.

"Erena-chan~ We're on a date! And do you know what people on dates do?" Nozomi faked a pout, teasing Erena with a wagging finger in front of her.

"Spend time together?" Erena replied innocently, with Nozomi mentally facepalming. Sure, that _was_ one of the aspects of a date but not exactly what she was looking for.

"Well uh, yes but there's others..."

"Holding hands?"

"Yes but-"

"Sharing drinks?"

"Correct b-"

"Having many romantic selfies?"

"Okay that's Nicocchi but still-"

"Watching a sunset?"

"Erena-chan! Listen to me for a sec!" Nozomi yelled in frustration, mildly irritated that her date just simply can't get the right answer. "When you're on a date, you're supposed to be trying to be romantic!"

"Isn't that what I've been doing though...?" Erena asked, truly perplexed by Nozomi's reply.

"No! That's called being gentlemanly!"

"Oh... My apologies, my database is not updated on the behaviours during a date." Erena bowed, disturbing Nozomi slightly. What truly disturbed Nozomi was the word 'database'.

"I-It's fine... J-Just address me by my name..." Nozomi shakily replied, handing a ticket to Erena. "Here's yours."

"Oh thank you Nozomi. The movie is a comedy?"

"Y-Yeah... I-Is there any problem with it?"

"None at all, just that searching through my database made me realise that I do not have the memory of a comedy. It would be nice to update my database with something new."

"I-I see... Let's go in shall we?" Nozomi led the way, her thoughts wandering elsewhere even when the movie started.

 _'Erena-chan... isn't an android or something... right?'_

XXXXXX

"Are you ready Nico-chan?" Kotori asked, preparing the puck.

"I'm _so_ ready to thrash you." Nico smirked as she readied herself. Kotori smiled before hitting the puck at a rather frightening speed, though Nico was not fazed in the slightest and returned it with relative ease. "I hope that ain't all~"

"Oh no, it isn't." Kotori smiled as she returned the puck, this time a tad faster than her first hit.

"Increasing the difficulty huh? Okay Kotori, let's see you return this!" Nico returned the shot in a single swoop, the puck zooming right into Kotori's goal.

"Wow Nico-chan, that's fast!" Kotori chuckled as she picked up the puck from her end, placing it back on the table. "But not fast enough~"

"Yikes! Nearly caught me off guard~" Nico giggled as she returned the puck at a speed only Eli or Nozomi could match. Within a matter of minutes, Kotori was indeed 'thrashed'.

"Nico-chan... You're too good..." Kotori panted, wiping off her sweat with a pink handkerchief.

"Harasho indeed Nico." Nico and Kotori turned around, only to face Eli and her date. "I expected you to be at an idol merchandise shop."

"Eli-chan and Yukiho-chan! How's the date so far?" Kotori asked, ignoring the glare on Nico's face.

"Quite well. What about yours?" Yukiho gulped as she noticed the look on Nico's face, herself starting to back away slowly.

"Oh it's perfectly _peachy_." Nico growled, folding her arms.

"Really? Then you wouldn't mind if I borrowed Kotori for a round at Dance Evolution Arcade would you?" Eli smirked, one look at Nico's face would reveal how irritated she truly was.

"Is it okay Nico-chan?" Kotori turned to Nico, with a smile on her face. Nico flinched, though she's against Otonokizaka's number one flirt dancing with Kotori, she could _never_ say no to Kotori. Especially when she's smiling so god damn brightly.

"Sure, why not." Nico casually shrugged, giving Eli the middle finger when Kotori's back was turned. Eli playfully stuck out her tongue as she accompanied Kotori to the machine, with Nico left fuming behind with Yukiho. Unbeknownst to Nico, Kotori had a slight smile on her face after noticing Nico glaring at the quarter-Russian.

"You know Nico-san, Eli-san's just trying to tease you..."

"Yukiho, that flirt knows damn well how much I love Kotori. She should just go and flirt with you."

"Uh. That may be harder than expected..." Nico stared blankly at Yukiho, then to Eli. And right back at Yukiho.

"Eh?" Yukiho nodded, confirming Nico's surprise. "EEEEEEH?!"

"Apparently she's not good at flirting with those she... likes, y'know what I mean?" Nico nudged the younger girl lightly in the ribs, a blush forming on her face.

"I see, I see~" Nico grinned, making Yukiho blush harder.

"Geez...! So, what should I do to get her to notice me...?"

"Put the moves on her."

"T-That's... not being too forward right Nico-san...?" Yukiho asked uncertainly, she wasn't the type to be so aggressive after all.

"In Eli's case, you need to spell things out for her."

"So I just have to say 'I L-O-V-E Y-O-U'and she'll get the hint?"

"Okay first of all, you need to stop being so literal."

XXXXXX

"I think that our dates could be the most normal dates among the seven couples." Maki theorised, taking a sip of her coffee in a cafe. She was with Rin and two other couples, Tsubasa and Anju as one and Honoka and Hanayo as the third couple.

"I'm surprised Rin-chan didn't drag you to a ramen stand or something." Honoka said as she stuffed a huge loaf of bread into her mouth. "Mmf mm mm, whyff arf youff guff mm? (By the way, why are you guys here?)"

"Next time, finish your bread then speak. And I'm here as I'm afraid that Hanayo may not be able to pay for you."

"Huh? But we're going Dutch?" Honoka swallowed her bread, turning to face Maki with a confused look on her face.

"Have you even taken a good look at your plate?" Indeed, for Honoka's plate was piled with many loaves of bread. "I think you should first worry about whether those bread will cause any injury to Rin or Hanayo!"

"I-I'm good!" Hanayo called out from behind the mountain of bread her date ordered. Maki sighed in exasperation as she glanced towards Tsubasa's and Anju's direction.

"You two seem unaffected by this." Maki noted the couple's surprisingly calm expression, wondering how could she be like them.

"Well, Erena acts like a robot from time to time." Tsubasa casually sipped her tea, sighing in content. "This tea is exquisite."

"Indeed. Ah... Will she act like a robot during her date with Tojo-san...?" Anju wondered before imitating Tsubasa's actions. "Oh well."

"Ah Kayo-chan! This buttered bread tastes great! Here, say aaah~" Honoka held up a loaf of bread, her hand hovering close to Hanayo's mouth.

"A-Aaah..." Hanayo bit on the bread, slowly chewing it. "This is good!"

"I know right?!"

"Hey Anju, want some of my cake?" Tsubasa offered a forkful of her cake, her emerald eyes gleaming.

"Sure, feed me will you Tsubasa-chan?" Anju asked, smiling coyly. Tsubasa giggled before complying with Anju's request.

"Here you go~"

"Mmm! This cake is delicious!"

"Maki-chan, Rin thinks that normal dates are scary nyow." Rin commented, choosing to stay silent until that moment.

"Normally, I wouldn't even think of that notion. But now, yeah I agree." Maki nodded, the tranquil normality being something that the duo were unaccustomed to.

XXXXXX

"Kotori? You look down, are you okay?" Nico asked, having noticed Kotori's grim expression. Truthfully, Nico had noticed Kotori's frown throughout the date, just that she didn't want to make her date feel guilty. After all, Kotori wasn't exactly subtle in faking her expression, but Nico figured that she was lucky enough to see some smiles from her. _'Is she upset that she's on a date with me? Well yeah, I mean I do suck at this. Plus I'm a girl, not some hot guy who likes gardening... Or would it be cooking?'_

"A-Ah! Y-Yes, I'm alright..." Kotori's voice was shaky, obviously a sign that she was lying. Nico picked up on this, and decided to probe Kotori for the reason.

"You don't look alright though. Was it the date? Sorry that the plans suck so bad, I'm terrible at planning." Nico asked, admitting that she was bad at planning. Never once did she planned a single date in her entire life. Even in middle school, the guys were the one planning for dates.

"N-No, the date was fine! Nico-chan, I'm really alright~" Kotori tried to smile, but that didn't fool Nico.

"I forgot, we're both girls. I bet you find it disgusting. Well, it's okay. I'm sure there are tons of guys out there th-"

"Nico-chan! It's not about the gender of my date!"

"It's not...?" Nico paused for a brief second, that would mean that Kotori is okay with dating girls? _'Hold the phone, that would mean that she's at least bi! But if she doesn't like the date with me then... oh.'_

"N-Nico-chan?" Kotori asked, concerned that Nico suddenly went quiet.

"Kotori, you should have told me earlier..."

"Huh?"

"I mean, you don't feel comfortable going out with _me_ right? I mean yeah, who the heck will go out with some whiny, narcissistic, temperamental brat?" Nico shot a glance at Kotori, her scarlet eyes tinged with hurt. _'Why am I feeling like the victim when Kotori's the real victim here?! Damn it, I hate myself. Always thinking about me, me, me. No wonder they all left me...'_

"T-That's not... true..." Kotori's voice faltered, eliciting a smirk from Nico. "N-Nico-chan?!"

"You're lying. Of course I'm making you uncomfortable. Sheesh, you don't have to be so considerate." Nico sighed as she walked away from Kotori, then started to pick up speed. Before Kotori knew it, Nico had ran away from her.

"You idiot, Nico-chan." Kotori muttered under her breath before starting to chase after Nico, even though it was futile to chase after someone who was already long gone.

 _'I'm uncomfortable around you as I like you...'_

XXXXXX

"I lost her. It's for the best." Nico panted as she stopped running, stopping outside a cinema. "What am I doing with myself...?"

"Nicocchi?" Nozomi remarked as she and Erena exited the cinema. "You look like you just ran a marathon yan."

"Uh huh, why are you guys here?" Nico casually brushed the question aside, wanting to avoid the topic of her lack of her assigned date.

"We are doing what humans call a 'movie date'." Erena explained, a small smile on her face. "That actress really resembles Minami-san."

"I know right? Oh, speaking of Kotori-chan... Nicocchi, where is she?" Nico gulped, having forced into a corner by a certain spiritual friend.

"Nico-chaaaan! Ah! Found you!" Kotori called out from a distance, sweating heavily as she narrowly crashed into Nico.

"K-Kotori..." Nico was stunned, how did she manage to catch up? Nico was positive that she had ran at least 500 metres... or maybe just 50 but that was still impressive, in a way.

"Oh Minami-san, we were just talking about you."

"Nicocchi? Are you alright?" Nozomi noticed Nico's paling expression, and realisation hit her. "Oh I get it. Erena-chan~ Do you want to start going in? The Pentagram Thief is starting soon yan!"

"Alright then. Please excuse us." Erena and Nozomi went back into the cinema, leaving Kotori and Nico alone.

"W-Why did you chase after me?" Nico asked the very first question she had, not wanting to face Kotori.

"Well um..."

"If it's just to console me, then I don't need it." Nico coldly stated, starting to walk away from Kotori. "Goodbye."

"W-Wait! I-I don't hate you _or_ the date!" Kotori panicked, not wanting Nico to leave her a second time. "P-Please hear me out, okay?"

"... Make it fast then." Nico huffed, tapping her foot impatiently. Seeing that Kotori remained silent, Nico sighed in annoyance. "If you're just gonna waste my time, then-"

"I love you okay?!" Kotori yelled, earning some stares from onlookers. Nico herself was stunned by Kotori's sudden outburst.

"I don't understand?" Nico asked, she couldn't understand why would Kotori say that she loved someone like Nico. That didn't add up, and she was terrible at Maths to begin with.

"I was uncomfortable throughout the whole date as I didn't know how to act around you! I don't want to chase you away, neither do I want to sell you something that I'm not!" Kotori continued, her true feelings spilling out with every passing second.

"So... you like me?" Nico asked the only thing she had gotten out form Kotori. "As in, romantically?"

"Y-Yes! I've loved you ever since my first year! I've always admired your determination when you're handing out flyers to the school in the rain! I've always liked your rebellious attitude every time I see you in the principal's office! And I certainly wish that I could be as bold as you, making decisions every time the nine of us enters a conflict!"

"You sound like my number one fan." Nico commented, a growing blush on her cheeks. _'Man, I didn't know Kotori looked at me with such high regard...'_

"I-I guess? I mean, I'm not like that guy who buys all of your merchandise the second it comes out. To be honest, I wish I could own every of your merchandise the idol shops have to sell but mom won't be pleased..." Kotori fumbled, realising the gravity of her words. "U-Um, what I mean to say is..."

"I-I get it. Kotori, you sure are direct sometimes..." Nico blushed, a smile gracing her face. "Though I love that about you."

"Ehehe... Nico-chan, will you go out with me? As in, for real?" Kotori asked, taking Nico's hands into hers.

"Definitely."

XXXXXX

"Yes yes yes! Kotori-chan finally asked Nico-chan out! I knew this idea about a Christmas date will work out well!" Honoka cheered behind a wall, with Hanayo, Umi and Alisa behind her.

"I'm surprised it worked. And that Kotori is still safe." Umi commented, a faint smile on her face.

"K-Kotori-chan really does go well with Nico-chan..." Hanayo whispered, silently snapping photos of Kotori and Nico holding hands.

"Honoka-san! Yukiho just texted me!" Alisa whispered excitedly, holding up her mobile phone. "She's actually together with Sestra!"

"Really?! Alrighty, now I just have to get them to bang and..."

"Honoka, don't continue that train of thought." Maki sighed, with Rin behind her as they exited a convenience store.

"Continue what nya?" Rin asked innocently, blissfully spared from Honoka's inappropriate thoughts.

"N-Nothing. Anyways, I see Tsubasa-san and Anju-san up ahead. Where the hell is Nozomi though?" Maki pointed out, glancing towards Nico's direction. _'They do look good together. An angel and a devil... maybe I should ask Umi whether she could write a song for them...'_

"Sorry, we got caught up with some fans." Tsubasa apologised, tugging on her scarf. "It's starting to freeze up huh?"

"Indeed, my system is starting to slow down." Eight heads turned to face Nozomi and Erena, with Nozomi sporting an uncomfortable look on her face. Anju sighed as she proceeded to lecture Erena, with Erena sticking out her tongue playfully.

"Erena-chan, what did I tell you about pretending to be an android?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Wait, you mean you're just messing around with me?!" Nozomi asked, clearly annoyed with Erena at the moment.

"Apart from the way that I speak, I'm actually serious about what I've told you." Erena explained, showing no signs of remorse for putting Nozomi through a series of uncomfortable situations.

"Hmph. For our date next Sunday, _please_ act normally will ya?"

"Sure, outside the station right?"

"Woah woah woah, you guys got together too?!" Honoka exclaimed, her smile becoming wider than ever. "Man, my idea is a success!"

"Technically I'm already dating Anju so yeah. But hey, we have a valid reason to skip practice!" Tsubasa replied, bringing her girlfriend into a side hug.

"You know what? Who _isn't_ dating anyone here?" Maki decided to ask the group, not wanting to waste anymore time with the rest when she could just drag Rin home and have her way with her cat-like girlfriend. The group remained silent, an indication to Maki that everyone was dating someone. "Seriously? I thought Umi wouldn't even dare to touch Alisa..."

"H-Hey! I-I have the right to choose my significant other!" Umi protested, a blush on her face while Alisa simply smirked at the sight.

"No, I meant that with Eli in the picture, you wouldn't even dare to stand near Alisa..."

"Oh."

XXXXXX

"You sure that you don't wanna meet up with them?" Nico asked Kotori, her hand still grasping onto the latter's. Kotori shook her head, dismissing Nico's suggestion.

"I would prefer to spend time with you, Nico-chan."

"Heh, thanks." Nico smiled to herself, truly grateful that she had Kotori by her side. "Oh yeah Kotori..."

"Hm?"

"Why are you relying on dating sims to give you experience?"

"H-Heh?! Oh um... It's kinda hard to find someone who's also of the same sexuality as you... or bisexual at least... so it just went that way..." Kotori explained, suddenly embarrassed that she tried to base her first date like a dating simulator.

"Well, better than me at least. I went out with guys in middle school just to confirm whether I was gay. For some reason, I couldn't get past the kissing stage..." Nico awkwardly laughed, trying to brush her past aside. _'Conclusion, I'm the stupidest person on Earth to go out with a total of 16 guys just to confirm that I'm gay.'_

"Nico-chan... you haven't kissed anyone yet...?" Kotori asked, abruptly stopping in her tracks.

"Not like you kissed too right?"

"Does my computer screen count?"

"... Uh..." Nico blinked, Kotori was unexpectedly eccentric. Who would have thought of kissing a computer screen just to fully enact out a dating scene? "No... I guess?"

"Great! Nico-chan, can I ask you for one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Can I kiss you?" Nico gaped at Kotori's request. Her junior had said that she wished that she could be as bold as Nico, yet she was even bolder by directly asking Nico whether she could get a kiss. And in front of their not-so-hidden friends nonetheless.

"Y'know what? Sure, but let's go to somewhere more... private. I'm not kissing in front of _them_." Nico spat out, glaring at her friends. Kotori glanced at their direction, frowning slightly before returning to her usual smile.

"Hehe, good point. I know somewhere quieter, let's go~" With that, Kotori brought Nico to somewhere else while their friends watched.

"Aw man, now we can't see 'em kiss nya..."

"I know right?!"

"Honoka, Rin, that is called being rude."

"Sorry Umi-chan (nya)..."

"Speaking of rude... Has anyone seen Elichi and Yuki-chan? They should have been here 20 minutes ago yan!" Nozomi asked, alerting the rest of the lack of mentioned girls.

"I bet they are currently fu-" Honoka wanted to continue her sentence, but was slapped by Maki. "Ow?!"

"Don't ruin the purity of a White Christmas! Santa won't visit you if you do!"

"... I'm so tempted to ruin it for her..." Honoka muttered her breath as she cradled her sore cheek with her left hand.

XXXXXX

Note: Updated as of 27-12-2016 thanks to JoaquinHawke's review

It's never a White Christmas here in somewhere so freaking hot. Anyways, I'm sure you guys can imagine what are Eli and Yukiho doing... Also, I've realised there's a trend with my Christmas stories. Back to the main point, thanks for reading and have a Merry Christmas everyone.


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